Carlton champion Chris Judd will miss the first two rounds of the AFL season due to an Achilles tendon injury.

The two-time Brownlow medallist will undergo surgery next week to alleviate a painful form of Achilles tendinitis.

Carlton’s general manager of football operations Andrew McKay expects Judd to be back in action in time for the round-three clash against Essendon on April 6.

“Chris has been training well so far this pre-season, but he has been pulling up sore over the past week or so,” McKay said.

“We feel the best course of action is to address the issue now, to ensure Chris can have maximum impact on the field when he returns.”

Judd will miss Carlton’s opening two matches against fellow 2103 finalists Port Adelaide and Richmond.